Kevin Richardson

Kevin Richardson (1975-) was an African-American man from Harlem, New York City who was wrongfully convicted of the rape and assault of Trisha Meili in the 1990 Central Park jogger case.

Biography
Kevin Richardson was born in Harlem, New York City, the son of Grace Coffee and the younger brother of Angie Richardson. Richardson played trumpet at school and wanted to become a musician as an adult, but his future was ruined on 19 April 1989. That night, he headed to Central Park to investigate a commotion there, and he was chased down by NYPD policemen who believed that he was one of the 30 men who were said to have taken part in the beating and rape of Trisha Meili and the assault of other pedestrians in the park. Richardson attempted to run away, but he was tackled by a policeman who hit Richardson across the face with his helmet, scarring him and giving him a black eye. During the interrogation, other suspects were coerced into saying that Richardson's wound had been caused by Meili in self-defense, and Richardson was coerced into testifying that he had been scratched by Meili while trying to stop the rape. In the 1990 "Central Park jogger case", Richardson and four other boys were found guilty of the beating and rape of Meili, and they were sentenced to up to ten years in prison. They were released in 2002 when the case was vacated, and Richardson was awarded $7.1 million in damages.